It’s Off and It’s Back On

There aren’t many things that are predictable about Peace Corps and when you apply you assume that your leave date (July 14, 2017 for me) is about the most predictable part of it all. I mean you have countdowns on your phones and everyone asks you ‘when do you leave?’ about 300 times so you definitely don’t forget July 14th.

It was July 13th, 2017 in good ole Midlothian, VA. I was plopped on the couch thoroughly enjoying watching Bradley Cooper’s intertwined love story with Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams in the movie, Aloha, and then my phone is lighting up saying so and so posted in the Peace Corps Cambodia K11 Facebook group…so I open it and it says “Just got a call from the Peace Corps. If you’re not near your phone, get near it.” so of course everyone is panicking and wondering what this could possibly be about the night before our flights to San Francisco for staging. Then that 202 area code popped up on my phone and they told me our trip to Cambodia was postponed for a few weeks due to visa delays. Cue the epic stomach plop. Immediate thought: what on earth am I going to do for an extra few weeks…I’ve already sat around and said all my goodbyes. So what does any 20 something millennial do in this situation? Text all your friends and family, have a pity party, and settle in with Netflix and finish the fifth season of Wentworth that you didn’t think you would have time to finish. But wait now you do.

Let’s move to the morning of July 14th, 2017. No alarm set just waking up whenever I want to and looking at my phone to see texts, social media notifications and that damn Apple Wallet app notifying me that my scheduled flight was in 20 minutes. Well Wimbledon is on and for all those that don’t know I’m a huge tennis fan and this is the only positive I saw to this morning. I was watching the epic Querrey vs Cilic match up in the semi finals and I got another notification on my phone saying so and so posted in the Peace Corps Cambodia K11 Facebook group. You know what it said? “Breaking news! The trip is still on for tomorrow!” Cue the rush of emotions, I had all the feels. So I wait and I wait and finally get the email telling us the trip is back on and to book our flight to San Francisco for tomorrow because we are still leaving on time!

I mean wowza if this isn’t an introduction into the rollercoaster of emotions I am about to embark on in Peace Corps then I don’t know what is. I’m ready, I’m excited, I’m going!

From the Western Hemisphere,
❤ Lauren